General Info

I will be moving to Manila for one year for my work from September 1st. I will most likely arrive with a 59 day tourist visa procured from the Tokyo Philippine Embassy, then renew my visa every two months for the year.

I have RTFF regarding opening a bank acct, but unfortunately the information seems to be a bit contradictory. Therefore if you have any good answers to the following questions, I'd be very appreciative:

1) Is it actually necessary to have a Phil based bank acct? In other words, for one year, is it feasible to just use an ATM (I am a Citibank customer), to withdraw money whenever I need it?

2) Is it possible to open a bank acct as a short-term visitor (with a 59 day tourist visa)?

3) If answer to number 2 above is 'Yes', any recommendations about which bank(s) would be best to open an account?

Many thanks!

[QUOTE=Geneva Guy]

1. Jailbreak it using redsnow (assuming you have the 3G and not 3GS)

[/QUOTE]Redsn0w works for every iPhone now. Source: I used Redsn0w 0.8 on my 3GS successfully.

[QUOTE=Sprokit69]PLanning a trip next month and want to bring a cell phone from the US to use while there. I'm planning on buying a Smart Sim online. Will a dual or triband phone from the US work down there? Anyone the frequency bands they use?

Thanks in advance.[/QUOTE]As long as your phone supports GSM 900 you should be ok. Some areas MAY use GSM 1800 though, but 900 should get you by. Be careful, because some dual band phones marketed in the US are only GSM 850/1900, which is pretty much worthless outside the Americas.

[QUOTE=Manta Ray]I will be moving to Manila for one year for my work from September 1st. I will most likely arrive with a 59 day tourist visa procured from the Tokyo Philippine Embassy, then renew my visa every two months for the year.
[/QUOTE]Can you work on a tourist visa?

[QUOTE=Manta Ray]I will be moving to Manila for one year for my work from September 1st. I will most likely arrive with a 59 day tourist visa procured from the Tokyo Philippine Embassy, then renew my visa every two months for the year.

I have RTFF regarding opening a bank acct, but unfortunately the information seems to be a bit contradictory. Therefore if you have any good answers to the following questions, I'd be very appreciative:

1) Is it actually necessary to have a Phil based bank acct? In other words, for one year, is it feasible to just use an ATM (I am a Citibank customer), to withdraw money whenever I need it?

2) Is it possible to open a bank acct as a short-term visitor (with a 59 day tourist visa)?

3) If answer to number 2 above is 'Yes', any recommendations about which bank(s) would be best to open an account?

Many thanks![/QUOTE]
In answer to your first question, "no," it's not necessary. I have an account at Metrobank and I live here, yet I rarely use the account. I use primarily a Debit/Visa from a US bank and it works fine, both as a Visa card and as a way of getting funds. If you decide to open an account here, you might as well use Citibank in Manila, as you already have an account with them in the US and thus, they would probably make it easy for you.

Opening a local bank account here seems to depend less on regulations and more on whom you know. I opened my Metro account without ever going to the bank and it took less than an hour--but then my company's accounts are there and our accountant merely made a call and got my account opened.

GE

Having at various times held accounts with many of the local banks, I can assure you that Metrobank is easily the best of the bunch, as well as having the most branches. Their online banking service is particularly good and as efficient and secure as any in the west. Money transfer facilities are quick and easy as you would expect from a Philippine bank (a large part of their business is overseas remittances) and they have branches and affiliates abroad, which can be useful. I have a savings and checking account with them and have never had a problem with either.

As GE mentioned, in the Philippines it is not what you know but who, that matters the most and a bank manager friend is a great asset to have. Mine is the wife of a business associate which smoothed the way no end. She actually came round to my home to open the account. That is a personal service you would not expect to receive back home!!

Whatever you do avoid using the Landbank which is the worst bank I have ever encountered anywhere. Put money in there and they seem to assume it is theirs and make it a very tedious and time consuming procedure when you have the temerity to visit a branch to try and get some of your money back:).

Many thanks GE and CS for your sage advice concerning opening a bank account!

Next step as soon as I arrive in Manila is to cruise the nearest mall, catch the eye of a slim, sexy, 20-something (er, OK. 30-something) bank manager, and invite her back to my place to open an account and make a deposit.

If you decide to open a local account I can second CS' points. I have used them to transfer funds and the service was quick and efficient. I also routinely use the Metrobank ATM at my office to pay my Citibank Visa and again, it's efficient and accurate. My only complaint (due purely to my mistake) is that I once lost my ATM from Metro and it took about three weeks to get a replacement, since it had to come "all the way from Manila." But that's a very minor complaint and it was precipitated by my own stupidity.

GE

[QUOTE=Manta Ray]I will be moving to Manila for one year for my work from September 1st. I will most likely arrive with a 59 day tourist visa procured from the Tokyo Philippine Embassy, then renew my visa every two months for the year.

I have RTFF regarding opening a bank acct, but unfortunately the information seems to be a bit contradictory. Therefore if you have any good answers to the following questions, I'd be very appreciative:

1) Is it actually necessary to have a Phil based bank acct? In other words, for one year, is it feasible to just use an ATM (I am a Citibank customer), to withdraw money whenever I need it?

2) Is it possible to open a bank acct as a short-term visitor (with a 59 day tourist visa)?

3) If answer to number 2 above is 'Yes', any recommendations about which bank(s) would be best to open an account?

Many thanks![/QUOTE]The most simplest and easy no hassle way to open a bank account is to open a Unionbank EON account. It's a savings Visa Debit Card with online access.

Go into any Unionbank. They will only ask for 1 piece of identification. No ACR card or anything other ID matters. After filling out your information they will ask you to come back in 2 weeks to pick up your card. It is normally there earlier. When you pick up your Visa Debit card you are required to pay the annual fee only which I think is P350. There is no minimun balance to maintain. I'ts that simple!

As someone once said the actual card is very nice to look at as it has a nice design

[QUOTE=Manta Ray]I will be moving to Manila for one year for my work from September 1st. I will most likely arrive with a 59 day tourist visa procured from the Tokyo Philippine Embassy, then renew my visa every two months for the year.

I have RTFF regarding opening a bank acct, but unfortunately the information seems to be a bit contradictory. Therefore if you have any good answers to the following questions, I'd be very appreciative:

1) Is it actually necessary to have a Phil based bank acct? In other words, for one year, is it feasible to just use an ATM (I am a Citibank customer), to withdraw money whenever I need it?

2) Is it possible to open a bank acct as a short-term visitor (with a 59 day tourist visa)?

3) If answer to number 2 above is 'Yes', any recommendations about which bank(s) would be best to open an account?

Many thanks![/QUOTE]



Like you the spamhog is a Citibank (usa) customer. I have found that Metro bank is the best, however, I transfer my money from Citibank in the USA to Banco De Oro BDO monthly simply because one has to go thru BDO if you want to get a cash advance on your mastercharge/visa. You might be able to get away doing cash advances instead of a debit card (my atm debit card from citi works well in metro or BDO atms here, lousy in most others, you might not even ned to open a termporary bank account, which you can do.

Iv'e never had a problem with international wire transactions and BDO has online banking.


spamhog

For the Aussies that travel to the Philippines it will be a lot easier to get money as ANZ has purchased the Philippines branches of RBS..

So we may have an easier time there now from a banking point of view.

Wizard

[QUOTE=Manta Ray]I will be moving to Manila for one year for my work from September 1st. I will most likely arrive with a 59 day tourist visa procured from the Tokyo Philippine Embassy, then renew my visa every two months for the year.

I have RTFF regarding opening a bank acct, but unfortunately the information seems to be a bit contradictory. Therefore if you have any good answers to the following questions, I'd be very appreciative:

1) Is it actually necessary to have a Phil based bank acct? In other words, for one year, is it feasible to just use an ATM (I am a Citibank customer), to withdraw money whenever I need it?

2) Is it possible to open a bank acct as a short-term visitor (with a 59 day tourist visa)?

3) If answer to number 2 above is 'Yes', any recommendations about which bank(s) would be best to open an account?

Many thanks![/QUOTE]Answer in order of questions :
1)No. Citibank has been ok for me. You can get a local citibank account easily if you are an existing customer.

2) Yes but choose carefully. Some banks are more 'fussy' about the rules than others. BDO may [url=http://isgprohibitedwords.info?CodeWord=CodeWord140][CodeWord140][/url] you off. China bank is pretty easy. If you get to know people or have business contacts you can get literally anything with an 'express fee' regardless of the rules.

3) See 2.

AV

[QUOTE=Robbaf]Can you work on a tourist visa?[/QUOTE]Legally? No. You must have residency or a special work visa, the name of which escapes me for the moment. However many do work illegally here. Just go to the many 'Universities' here to see all the westerners doing sly work as 'english teachers'. Incidently this is a great way to get amongst the 18 year old aspirational chicks from what I have seen. The little bitches will happily bonk for credit.

AV

[QUOTE=Amavida]Legally? No. You must have residency or a special work visa, the name of which escapes me for the moment. However many do work illegally here. Just go to the many 'Universities' here to see all the westerners doing sly work as 'english teachers'. Incidently this is a great way to get amongst the 18 year old aspirational chicks from what I have seen. The little bitches will happily bonk for credit.

AV[/QUOTE]
The problem with working as an English teacher, or as anything else, while on a tourist visa is that if that 18 year old you're boinking gets pissed off, and if she's of a vindictive stripe and decides to report you to immigration, you're toast. You can be and you probably will be hauled off to the immigration detention center for a couple of days or weeks and then be booted out of the country never to return. I've seen it happen, and whiling away time in the Immigration detention facility is not something that's considered terribly enjoyable, according to a friend of mine who spent the better part of three weeks there.

GE

I have a Premier Account here in Malaysia with HSBC.
They told me they can easily open an account in the Philippine branch of HSBC in Manila.
So far I haven't done that, but this would be my procedure if I need an account there.

Cheers!